Blue Jays news: George Springer signs largest contract in team history

The Toronto Blue Jays promised a big splash in free agency and did not disappoint landing George Springer to a deal that’s worth six years and $150 million, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan.

After months of waiting and some frustrating times, the Blue Jays made an emphatic statement considering this is the largest contract the team has ever signed. It also adds one of the premier free agents on the market which has always been a struggle for this team.

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Springer has been one of the top sluggers over the past few years with a lifetime OPS of .852 and an average of 35 home runs per 162 games played according to Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith. This is not a player who has shown a decline in production despite being 31-years-old.

Just to give you an idea of how significant this deal is, the next closest deal the Blue Jays signed was Russell Martin’s five-year, $82 million deal. The team has never gone over $100 million but there are only a select group of outfielders better than Springer: Mike Trout, Mookie Betts and Christian Yelich.

There will always be reservations about a six-year deal to a player who is over 30-years-old but the team’s depth right now could help them ensure that Springer doesn’t get overworked. Adding Springer now gives the Blue Jays some options to consider with Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Randal Grichuk and Teoscar Hernandez.

Whether or not they consider dealing from their surplus of outfielders in order to solve some of their other roster needs will be intriguing. According to Ken Rosenthal, the Blue Jays have been interested in adding Michael Brantley who has a strong relationship with Springer.

Depending on how much Brantley would cost and where the front projects him to fit, it could be a significant move. It’s also important to consider what the team plans to do at third base (does Vladimir Guerrero Jr. play there or does the team not trust him there).

This deal might take them out of the running for Trevor Bauer considering he is looking at earning a much bigger ticket than Springer did. Of course, the team could move out some money but they probably won’t be looking to subtract a big piece after making a big addition.

You get the sense that after an off-season of frustration, Blue Jays fans are probably breathing a major sigh of relief after missing out on top targets like Francisco Lindor, D.J. LeMahieu, Ha-seong Kim and Kevin Gausman.

Once word of a deal was reported by Brendon Kuhn on Twitter, you could see the tension growing as many Blue Jays fans were refreshing Twitter at an alarming rate. It seemed like it was only a matter of time before things would finally get confirmed by multiple insiders.

There will obviously be some who point to Springer’s involvement in the cheating incident with the Houston Astros but looking at how the outfielder continued to produce after that time, it’s tough to say that he needed the extra help.

Blue Jays fans should be ecstatic with the move and if more on the horizon considering this is a team that is on the rise and made sure to give it a boost.

What are your thoughts on the Springer deal? Do you have any concerns or is this the type of player the Blue Jays needed? Let us know in the comments below.